Convert Your Dynamics CRM Appointments to Meeting Requests in Outlook

Posted on February 7, 2012 by JoeCRM

This is a follow-up up to an earlier post on Sending Meeting Requests with Microsoft Dynamics CRM, which explains how Microsoft Dynamics CRM does NOT send meeting requests out of the box, and best practices is to send meeting requests from Outlook and track them in CRM. Another option for sending meeting requests is the ability to “convert” Dynamics CRM Appointments to meeting requests in Outlook. To do this, use the following steps.

  1. Create an Appointment in MSCRM, as usual. Click Save and Close.

    Dynamics CRM Appointments & Meeting Requests

  2. Wait for the Appointment to synchronize to Outlook, or go to Outlook and force a synchronization on the CRM tab of the ribbon by clicking Synchronize with CRM.

    Dynamics CRM Appointments - calendar

  3. Find the meeting on the calendar and click Invite Attendees on the ribbon.

  4. The attendees populate in the To field, so now you can click Send and a meeting request will be sent to them.

Because of this capability, appointments could be scheduled in CRM with workflow and later opened and send to a contact. Contacts can also be added to the Appointment at this time.

A couple words of CAUTION when using appointments that are tracked in CRM.

  1. The meeting invites sent from Outlook do not honor CRM’s “Do Not Allow Email” on the Contact. Outlook will send the meeting request via Email all all attendees.
  2. After the appointment, don’t put your notes into the Outlook appointment saying, “This guy’s a schmuck…” thinking that you putting those notes into CRM for your boss. An updated meeting request will be sent to the schmuck, and he probably won’t appreciate it. However, you can click View in CRM and modify the appointment there and an update will not be sent.

    (It’s still a little risky though because those notes will sync back down to Outlook and if the appointment gets moved for whatever reason on the calendar, you could accidentally send the notes out to the contacts on the meeting. Probably best to keep it professional)

Hope you found this helpful. Happy CRM’ing!

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JoeCRM

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Expert at PowerObjects
Joe CRM is a CRM superhero who runs on pure Microsoft Dynamics CRM adrenaline. As the face of PowerObjects, Joe CRM’s mission is to reveal innovative ways to use Dynamics CRM and bring the application to more business and organizations around the world.
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  • Ruts

    Hi,
    We have requirement where we don’t want to generate mail to the concerned person when an appointment is scheduled for him/her.Is there any way to stop the email generation when we have synchronize our CRM with outlook already. Also we are using CRM2011.
    Thanks in advance.

    • Beth

      We have the same requirement – the client NEVER wants external invitees to receive a meeting notification if the meeting was created in CRM, but they DO want the ability to synchronize the calendars for internal users.
      Any ideas?

  • http://andrewkkirk.com/ Andrew K Kirk

    Our setup doesn’t have the “Sending Meeting Request” button option. Looking in settings under field and views, but nothing. Any ideas?

    • alexfagundes

      Hi Andrew – the send meeting request is a custom button and code that we created. It only works on crm 2011 on premises and partner hosted as we generate teh meeting request via code.